Five Critical Things To Do After A Job Interview

In an ever-competitive job
market, the follow-up to your interview is absolutely crucial. If you
slack at this stage, it could cause you to lose out to another
candidate.

1. Note what went well and…

We must
start by finding ways to improve our performance by first noting what
went well in the interview. Note down five or six things that you are
happy with in your performance. These may include turning up on time,
paying attention to the questions asked, answering the questions,
deploying your key value-add messages, and so on. Once you’ve done that,
perhaps reflect on one or two things that you could improve for next
time.

This is important because every interview is useful to your
personal development. Therefore, make sure you allow yourself to learn
from each interview, by noting what you would change for next time. This
is also important if there is a further round of interviews for this
position.

2. Write salient notes about the key points covered

Make
a note of the company, the date in time, the person you met with, and
their position within the organisation. Note down the key topics of
conversation - the questions you were asked and briefly, your answers.
Give yourself a score on a scale of 1-10 of how well you feel you answered
those questions. This is especially important if you are interviewing
with a number of different companies at the same time, and if this is
one of a series of interviews with the same company.

3. Write a post-interview thank you email

It
is recommended to at the very least, send a thank-you email within 24
hours of the interview. A handwritten thank you note or card is a
personal touch that might help you stand out amongst the crowd of other
applicants. It might seem outdated, but this has only increased the
value of the handwritten thank-you. If relevant, you could include a
link to an article or website relating to a topic mentioned at
interview; this could help stress your interview expertise. You could
also use your thank you note to modify, correct or amplify one of your
responses.

4. Diarise follow-up

As the interview
closes, it is appropriate for you to ask what the next steps will be. If
they say something along the lines of, “We’ll be in touch”, it is also
appropriate for you to ask for a broad timeline, and permission to
follow-up if you haven’t heard from them. Put the date in your diary by
which time you should have heard from them, and feel free to call or
email if that deadline passes.

5. What are concurrent job options

Consider
what other jobs you are pursuing concurrently and be cautious about
putting all your eggs in one basket, by pursuing just one job at a time.
This may give you a sense of neediness or desperation that this one
option is successful. I would suggest that you try and pursue two, maybe
three, positions at any one time. This will give you a sense of
abundance and therefore, you will come across a lot better in your
interviews.